In this day of broad-spectrum antibiotics and their mass use against all forms of infectious processes, it is refreshing to refocus attention on the oldest and best class of antibacterial drugs, the sulfonamides, whose clinical effectiveness is well known. Recent advanced pharmaceutical research in this field has yielded products of greater safety, which has led to renewed awareness of the true value of these agents in the armamentarium of the practicing physician.

Toward this end, I have recently undertaken the evaluation of a new long-acting sulfonamide, sulfadimethoxine (Madribon), in the routine therapy of common respiratory infections in patients seen in daily practice. Previous reports on the use of this drug for respiratory illnesses have indicated it to be safe and efficacious.1 For reliable evaluation of a drug, it is necessary to compare the results of many studies conducted by independent investigators from different localities. Only in this way can